It's a First
by CharmedNeXus
Summary: The First Evil has decimated Buffy and her town. Broken and beaten she and her friends hope in a legend of three powerful witches and pray they can stop their greatest enemy. But this couldn't have happened at a worse time... read to find out why.  R%R!


They stood in the ruins of the Magic Box. Giles, Willow, Buffy, Faith, Xander and Dawn. All bruised bloody on various parts of their body. They contemplated that their deaths were soon approaching. The slayer line was about to end. How could they have been so stupid? To put every potential slayer in one position! On the most active Hellmouth on the planet for that matter.

"We should go." Buffy broke the silence. Her throat dry and clogged with dirt.

"Where are we going to go? We don't have anything left! This was it." Dawn retorted in a squeaky voice. Her eyes trying desperately to hold back tears that might clean her dirty cheeks.

Buffy stood there silent. The weight of the world had broken her. Even the strength of the slayer could not help her here. In the silent night air she could hear the approaching demons. An army. Hells army was coming for them and they had no hope of winning. No hope of going out with a blast. No. Her sister and her best friends were about to be wiped off the face of the Earth with less than a whimper.

"We need help." Faith butted in. She wasn't any better off. Her eye had been injured so badly that it was swolen shut. A large gash across her arm still bleed but her healing stopped it from taking too much of a toll. Her mind still flashing with the screams and broken bodies of the girls she once led. But she pushed through as always. No matter how bad things were Faith was always 5 by 5.

"I've tried everything. Every spell that would do anything worthwhile I've tried. I've prayed to every God and Goddess I know. I'm sorry!" Willow's outburst was followed by a stream of tears.

"Willow no one is blaming you for any of this. Even you have limits." Xander put his unbroken arm around her shoulder to give her some comfort.

"Giles?" Faith asked noticing that he wasn't saying anything.

"Oh I'm sorry Faith." He said going to clean his glasses but realizing that they were broken in the battle. "I'm just thinking about an old prophecy made by a witch hundreds of years ago."

"So someone predicted that we would all die! Nice." She said giving a small bruised smile.

"Faith." Dawn whimpered out at her nonchalantness at the situation.

"No she predicted that with each generation her line of witches would grow so powerful that one day three sisters would be born and they would be the most powerful good witches to ever walk the Earth." He explained. "They would be called.."

"The Charmed ones." Willow interrupted.

"I thought you may have heard of the prophecy." Giles remarked at the interruption.

"What witch hasn't? But they are just legends... I'm sure of it." Her voice quaked at the idea that the Charmed Ones might actually be living breathing beings and not heroins of fantasy witches told their children to chase away the nightmares.

"I'm not positive Willow." He bent down to pick up a charred book. "And any information that could help us is gone!" He threw down the book in a flash of uncharacteristic anger.

"We have to go." Buffy's voice broke through. "I can hear them. Their laughter and howling. They want our heads on a platter!" The dark cloud that is Buffy was letting out all her rain.

"Again go where?" Dawn asked.

"Willow cast a teleportation spell."

"But Buffy where are we going?" She asked as her hands began to sparkle with magical energy.

"To find these 'Charmed Ones.' ".

And in a flash they were gone.

-San Francisco-

Phoebe laid on the attic floor shaking furiously. Her head hot with fever.

"Whats wrong with her?" Paige asked in a panic.

"I don't know. One second she was talking about how she was sensing something evil and the next she's on the floor!" Piper explained hastily as she tried to hold her sister to keep her from banging her head.

"Where the hell is L-"

Before Paige could finish a swirl of white and blue lights appeared in the attic.

"Where the hell have you been?" Paige asked her voice angry and full of concern for Phoebe.

"Kill later. Heal now!" Piper screamed as she moved out the way for her husband to do his magic.

He held out his hands on top of Phoebe's chest and a glow appeared from under his hands. Her shaking began to stop and her fever broke. But she still wasn't conscious. He retracted his hands.

"Why are you stopping?" Piper asked with a panicked voice fearing the worse.

"Because I've healed her." He replied in a quiet tone.

"Does she looked healed to you Leo?" Paige asked while taking Phoebe's hand.

"Whatever is keeping her from waking up can block my power. We were lucky that I managed to heal her other alinements."

Suddenly a spark of energy appeared in the middle of the attic. The Book of Shadows glowed and the house shook. As 6 people walked out of the energy smoke.

"Demons!" Paige screamed.

Piper instinctively flicked her hands and sent all of the unknown people flying into the wall by the attic door.

"Circle!" Paige waved her hand and sent 4 crystals in a circle surrounding the strangers in an unbreakable energy dome.

"Who are you?" Piper asked in a grudging tone.

"Please." A young red headed woman spoke.

"Oh my god!" Leo ran to kick the crystal out of the way freeing the strangers.

"Leo?" Piper screamed.

"Wait! You guys don't understand." He moved to help the blond stranger to her feet. "It's a honor to meet you."

"Umm Leo?" Paige asked her defenses still on full alert.

"This is a force for good. Just as bit as powerful in her own way. This is Buffy Summers the Vampire Slayer." His voice slightly faltered as if he were a kid in a candy store.

"Wait slow down!" Paige commanded. "What is a slayer? And why is she and her lackeys here?"

"I'm no lackey B. Remember that!" A dark haired woman with a swollen eye spoke up.

Paige took a slight step back. Shocked by the confidence exuding from the woman with a broken face.

"Let me heal you and your friends."

They walked to the sofa that sat infront of the window. The bright sun beamed through.

"Leo you deal with them. We have our own problems." Piper walked over to Phoebe who was still on the ground.

"Paige orb Phoebe to magic school and ask the elders to keep watch over her and keep the healing juices flowing. Maybe a constant blast will ward off the magic. And be quick. I don't like being two sisters down. Especially with these new people here."

Paige nodded and in an instant she and Phoebe were gone.

Piper walked back over to Leo who had now just finished healing the last of the group.

"Alright what the hell is going on." Piper's voice was agitated and full of anger and distrust.

"Piper please a little respect." Leo tried to calm his wife down.

"Damn it Leo not today. Not when Phoebe is on the brink of god knows what and you can't heal her!" She walked out of the room taking the book with her. Now completely ignoring the strangers.

A few minutes passed and Buffy broke the silence.

"Looks like we've come at a bad time." She threw a slight smile.

"Of course not." Leo pushed out. "It's just that one of the sisters is in danger. Something is attacking her and we don't know what.

"Forgive my bluntness 'Leo' but exactly how many sisters are there?" Giles asked. Everyone on the scoobie team could sense the energy in the question. This was the make or break for them.

"There are three sisters." Leo commented.

Leo could instantly sense the happiness rolling off of the Slayer and her friends.

"And they are the Charmed Ones. The most powerful witches on Earth?" Willow asked. Craving this further confirmation.

"Yes." Leo replied again.

"Thank the Goddess!" Willow smiled as she looked at Giles and Buffy.

"Right there with you red." Faith blurted out.

"But I don't understand? What happened? Why are you running?" Leo asked. His questioned was directed at the Slayer but Giles answered.

"The Hellmouth is active. And the First Evil is in full power."

Leo stood there frozen. Petrified at the battle he knew was coming.

Ch.2

Piper rubbed her hands through her hair trying desperately not to pull it out. After Leo had explained the situation to Piper she quickly settled back into her normal character.

"So what do you expect us to do?" She asked calmly.

"Well you are the most powerful witches on the planet. Surly you can come up with something. Maybe something we haven't thought of or had the power to pull off?" Giles replied.

Piper nodded. "Right." She let it drawl out as she got up and walked into the kitchen.

"Paige!" She screamed under her breath.

Instantly a swirl of white and blue lights appeared infront of her.

"What? What happened?" Paige asked in a frantic tone.

"Later. How's Phoebe."

"Well the Elders are rotating in shifts. Keeping the healing on her constantly."

Just then a young red headed woman walked through the kitchen doors.

"I'm sorry about your sister. If there's anything I can do to help please let me know." She went to put sympathetic hand on Paige's shoulder but she shifted away.

"Paige. We can trust them." Piper pleaded.

"Yea. I mean what good witch would want to hurt the Charmed Ones?" Willow chirped as she threw a smile to Paige.

Piper pointed at the girl. "Willow right?"

"Yes."

"Explain the situation to Paige while I go back to the rest of our guests."

Piper walked out of the kitchen. The tension between Paige and the new strangers ha begin to waver but it was still there.

"So what's your story?" Paige asked. Leaning against the kitchen table with her arms folded acrass her chest.

"Long story short. In every generation a Slayer is born. She fights the forces of evil and she's the guardian of the hellmouth."

"Hmm."

"What?" Willow asked.

"I wonder if any of this is in the book?" Paige unfolded her hands and placed them out. "The book." Before Willow could blink an ancient book appeared in Paige's hand.

"Whoa... head rush!" Willow said as she slightly stumbled back.

Paige chuckled. "Yea. The first time I was in close contact with the book I had the same reaction."

"What is it?" She asked as her hand gently caressed the front cover. Her fingers tracing the triquetra.

"This is the Book of Shadows. It's a magical tome that every generation of Halliwell women has added their knowledge of demons and spells. It's said to be the most powerful magical book in the world. The least of which is because it can protect itself from evil."

"Wow." Willow said astonished at the history and power that the mysterious book possessed.

"Lets see." Paige began to flip through the book. "Yep." She began to read the description in the book. "The slayer is a young woman who possesses enhanced strength, speed, durability, healing, and prophetic dreams. The Slayer's main goal is to protect the world from the forces of evil that resides in and from the Hellmouth. Vampires, demons, and evil beings. The current slayers are Buffy Summers and Faith LeHane." She looked down to the smaller citation under the main description. "Because the Slayer normally leads such a short life there are hundreds of potential slayers. Girls who may be called when the Slayer is killed. However due to recent events the Slayer line is on the brink of extinction and the Hellmouth will be without its Guardian and the world will fall into the hands of darkness."

"That's right. But how did it know about the last part? It only happened a few weeks ago." Willow asked.

"Magic. We don't ask questions we just go with it. Personally I just like to think that the Book knows what's about to happen and likes to keep us prepared."

"Man if we'd of had something like this a lot of time would be saved." Willow sighed.

"But there's one thing I don't get." Paige asked moving closer to Willow. "How does she stop demons? I don't see how her powers would help her against energy balls and such."

Willow looked at her with a confused look. "We've been fighting demons for years and we've never faced any evil who had energy balls."

Paige began to walk to the kitchen door with the book in hand. "Come with me."

Willow followed Paige and they entered the sun room where the rest of the group sat.

"I think we may have a problem." Paige broke into the discussion.

"What?" Piper asked as she looked at Willow.

"It seems that these slayers fight demons that have no relation to the demons we fight." Paige explained. "They have no powers. No energy balls, no shimmering. Nothing."

"Well that's because there are two types of demons. The energy demons who can manipulate energy to create such effects like fireballs, telekinesis, ect and the physical demons who mostly rely on brute force to accomplish their goals." Leo explained. "You see the energy demons are drawn to the nexus to enhance their power while the physical demons are attracted to the Hellmouth to increase their overall power."

"But we've been attacked by demons who threw punches before." Piper interrupted.

"And we've been attacked by demons who could send us flying with a wave of the hand. Apparently not all demons are up to code on where they should be." Willow said jokingly.

Suddenly several demons shimmered in.

"It's true the slayer and the witches are working together!" One of the demons shouted.

Piper gestured her hands and sent one of the demons flying back.

The rest of the demons threw multiple fireballs which Paige reflected back with her force field.

"_Goddess Gaea hear me_!" Willow shouted as lightning exploded from her fingertips instantly vanquishing the demons.

"Whoa" Paige whispered awestruck by the display of raw power by the young witch.

"It seems that evil also has a grapevine and it's working at 100%." Faith said as she helped Dawn and Xander up off the ground.

"What should we do?" Dawn asked Buffy.

"Alright." Piper began to talk before Buffy could. "You, you, and you come with me." She said pointing to Buffy, Willow,and Giles. "The rest of you stay with Leo.

Paige followed Piper and they followed her. In seconds they were all upstairs in the attic discussing plans of what was surely to be the most dangerous battle any of them had ever faced.


End file.
